Higher ThoughtsA comfortable place where we can freely exchange and co-mingle our thoughts, ideas, interests, imaginations, energies, talents, and visions. This forum is for well thought out and meaningful discussion

Well back in Sept I was reading and looking for some a good translation of a Gita. I have a Jaun Mascaro trans. but he takes away some of the words I like in Sanskrit. It's like reading NIV Bible vs King James Version. I think the language is meant to be more peotic. So I'm searching around and I happen apon GITA FOR FREE dot com , which is a site that is sponsored by the International Gita Society. I type in my adress and name ( one per person ) and my Gita would be to my house in 10-15wks. I thought well its free so I have no problem waiting. I did alittle work in translator and found that to be of good standing imo and I pushed order.

Last week I got my copy from Korea! of all places. It was in a regular envelope and the Gita, which is ment to be a pocket size, was a perfect fit for my coat. Previously I had been caring around the pocket Gideons Bible, with the Psalms and Proverbs, but now I really have something I throughly enjoy more.

The translation is very good, easy to read. It's the copy for people who are more familiar with the Gita, although there is a more simple one available on the site as well. This silver one has key concepts and points bolded, and starts each section with a small framing heading, a key word in mind for the follow text type thing.

So all in all this is exactly what I needed when I went looking for this. And it was free. However I would like to add that there is a way to contribute money to these folks, and I think a few dollars is a good gesture, especially if you reap as much as I have from reading it. Now I can read mulitple chapters of the Gita on the bus or even for a few seconds while I wait for some one to make a small stop. Please be honest about ordering only one copy, they said multiple orders will teminate the origonal order or something to that effect.

I hope that those who look at the book will find the same simple powerful message, that has really brought alot of focus into the being.

When did you order it. My literally was ordered in the middle of Sept last year and didn't come until the end of December. I think It said 10-15weeks on the website, since it comes ground from Asia. Don't fear, I was starting to think mine wouldn't come either. But that just made me 20 times more excited when I saw my envelope with pretty stamps obviously not northamerican. Hope it gets there soon. I really enjoy being able to put mine in my front pocket. What a good idea, can't let the Gideons give away all the pocketable inspiration.

Fo sho......How familiar are you with the Gita? I had a Juan Mascaro background with it, which I liked, but thought lacked some key sanskrit temanology, so that when I went to read something like the Upanishads I was not able to relay and overlap so easily. Which is another reason I tracked this traslation down. It's simple enough and has a few bracketd synonyms for the Sanskit, which gives a more fair trans.

I'd like to know what you think of it when you get it, if you have previous opinions.

I grew up with it as a kid, but it was more oral storytelling sunday school style than reading verses. Watched the amazingly well produced [for 80's Indian television] Mahabharat before reading the epic poem.

As i grew older I tuned in more closely to other religions, ultimately with an amalgamated philosophy now.

__________________ Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought. -H. Bergson

I grew up with it as a kid, but it was more oral storytelling sunday school style than reading verses. Watched the amazingly well produced [for 80's Indian television] Mahabharat before reading the epic poem.

As i grew older I tuned in more closely to other religions, ultimately with an amalgamated philosophy now.

Thanks Komp. I thought you had mentioned something of the like before, and I didn't want to put words in your mouth. Do you suppose that movie is online somewhere? How was it reading that? I understand it to be incrediable long, what format did you read it?

I can relate to that philosphy. I personally feel the more I learn the more that I can feel the same essence and aspirations in each of them, even if some of them come off as violent or absolutist, reading more deeply into the metaphores, they become more universally applicable. Leviticus for instance has alot of health and sanitation answers in the form of "The Law". And in Islam seeing the socialist constructs of operation in society is fascinating. Well I think you are aware of these facts, and our common interest

Thanks for sharing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bearsy

As I've never read the Gita and only know it from word of mouth, which version should I get?
The Blue one or the Silver one?

Mine is silver and I don't think that after reading it that it is too complex for a first reading. I can't imagine how it would get more simple? The Mascaro version I mentioned while getting the message across, doesn't rate very high on the scholar scale as I read reviews.

The Beauty of a good translation is that you can read it as a first or 10000th time and still will find deeper meaning and won't get pulled thin with too many foot notes. This translation has heading within the chapter with a heading that functions as a 3-4 word synopsis, with is helpful in grasping the metaphore and so forth. Its not confusing and reading it for the 10000th time, so to speak. Firstly having one in your front pocket fascilitates being able to read this anywhere. And is a way to breeze freely in the words, and upon sitting at home can delve deeper in study or a larger expansion styled works. Paramahansa Yogananda has a very complex rendering, but is full of many pages of explainations and expanaitions of characters as metaphores for explainig key philosphies. Getting through one verse a day is challenging in that text. But I really connect with his cross comparision to verses from the Gospel, with is my first religious language.

Hope you enjoy it Bearsy. If you want to start now, just head to a library and I know you'll find one. Just read it alittle see what you think. Accuracy isn't always as key as essence, even if the traslator paraphases, the Gita is so beautiful and inspiring to read it would be impossible to render it useless.